Emergency Planning: Washington, DC Emergency Planning Entails

Emergency Planning: Washington, DC

Emergency planning entails planning carefully for every type of hazard that may affect a particular area. It involves forecasting and developing a plan to deal with natural, manmade and technological disasters.

Washington, DC's emergency planning has of course changed entirely since September 11, 2001. The terrorist attacks that left the entire country stunned and scarred had a particularly strong impact on Washington, DC. The center of America's political structure and a strong financial base, Washington continues to be a prime target for terrorists, one that will always be on a "short-list," so to speak, of cities that may yet again have to endure a terrorist attack of mammoth proportions.

One of the primary concerns for Washington, DC emergency planners is Reagan National Airport. The airport is so close to the most important landmarks and population centers in downtown Northwest Washington, DC, that it poses a continual threat. The reaction time for realizing that a plane has been hijacked and is off course is very low since the airport is so close.

After September 11, National Airport was shut down for the longest time of any airport, and flight patters were changed to give air traffic controllers and Air Force patrols a better idea of which commuter planes might be off course.

Emergency planning in Washington, DC will continue to involve careful consideration of National Airport's proximity to downtown DC.

Another important threat that Washington is dealing with is a biochemical attack by terrorists. Emergency planning will, in this case, involve a lot of education of the masses. Citizens will have to be taught the difference between various chemical agents, and various methods of dispersal of those agents: what to do health-wise, where to go, when to panic, when to stay calm, etc.

In the case of a terrorist bombing or an aircraft hijacking and crashing, citizens will know precisely what to do: run away from the scene. Whereas, in the case of a biological attack, there is no knowledge base for action. City emergency planners will have to educate citizens carefully and thoroughly.

But it takes more than education: emergency planners will actually have to put together a plan of response: which hospitals will serve as trauma centers, how doctors and nurses will be mobilized and protected from the chemical agents, how government officials will be safeguarded, how news will be disseminated.

In America, we thankfully have never had to deal with a biological agent attack, so all of this planning will have to evolve from the ground up. There is no template, per se, that we can work from.

Another threat in Washington, DC is a transportation strike: Sounds simplistic, but a such a move would cripple the city's economy. Emergency planners have to be ready in case mass transit workers do ever strike and shut down the metro and the buses in Washington.

Just this week, Washington declared a state of emergency for snow. Although Washington is not as affected by weather as other cities - there are not tornados, hurricanes, etc. - snow and ice can still pose serious hazards that emergency planners will have to contend with.

In any emergency, though, urban search and rescue, law enforcement, medical assistance and government will have to operate in completely different contexts. That is why the emergency planners in Washington have come up with several contingency plans for each type of emergency.

Will martial law have to be declared? That is one of the most important questions in emergency management. At what point are our court systems rendered useless by the events around us? As a democracy, this is of course a very dangerous question to ask, but one that must be asked.

At what point are law enforcement and government officials accorded more power because of the emergency situation? Legally, the army cannot be used to police the citizens because of Posse Comitatus, so the burden will fall on the police, both federal and local, and arguably on the National Guard.